


Practical

by normativejean



Category: Greek
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2010-12-30
Updated: 2010-12-30
Packaged: 2017-10-14 05:44:06
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,339
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/146010
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/normativejean/pseuds/normativejean
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Rebecca wasn’t curious about what he was writing. She wasn’t. It was just that she was beyond exhausted and she and Cappie had shared a <i>moment</i>, or whatever, in the room. That was the only reason she cared about the note he was scratching out.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Practical

**Author's Note:**

> Missing scene for episode 1x09, "Depth Perception." Originally written/posted in 2008. Beta'd by the awesome empressearwig.

_“You realize it was totally pointless: the slides, the tests, all of it.”_

 _“I’m not sure all of it was.”_

 _“What happened in that room means nothing in the real world.”_

 _“There is no ‘real world.’ Just two strangers picked to sit in a room and get their lives taped.”_

 _“See you around.”_

 _“…Hey.”_

Rebecca turned around at the sound of Cappie’s voice, even though it was _so_ against her better judgment. She firmly plastered an expression of vague disinterest across her face, the same one she had used at virtually ever social function she’d ever attended in her life. It was a role she knew well, and it felt comfortable – soothing, even – to slip into something familiar after the events of the day.

“What?” she bit out impatiently, cocking a hand on her hip. Rebecca had been sitting in that recycled-air room for longer than was safe to think about; her skin was dry, her hair was limp, and all she wanted _in the world_ was to apply a deep conditioner and slip into a nice jasmine oil-scented bath.  

Cappie blinked, almost looking shocked that she had actually stopped. At least that was one point in Rebecca’s favor now. Let him be off-balance again. Things had gotten entirely too weird during the experiment, and she was eager to reestablish the status quo now that they were on the outside.

After a split second, however, the bastard smirked at her. “ _Cappie_ ,” he said slowly. 

They were in the real world now; for the life of her, Rebecca couldn’t imagine what this D-list frat boy was doing still talking to her. “ _Excuse_ me?”

That infuriating smirk was still present when he repeated, “ _Cappie_. You know, like ‘Kappa,’ but not quite. It’s almost like my house was made for—“ 

“Do you have a point?” Rebecca cut him off before he started rambling. Again. God, it had been a long day. “

Cappie shrugged, completely nonplussed by her attitude. “I’m just saying. If you’re gonna be rude and dismissive, you could at least personalize it, you know? Make’s a guy feel special.” 

This time, Rebecca scoffed openly. “Okay, seriously, I have _no_ idea what we’re even talking about right now.”

“I’m just saying,” Cappie grinned, walking a little closer to her, “that a guy likes to know he’s getting the brush-off for being _him_. We like to think we’re engaging in special discourse when you get all frowny and—“ 

“Okay, seriously, _enough_.” Rebecca grimaced and held up her hands in the universal gesture for _Stop talking and go away now_ , so of course he didn’t pay any attention and took another step closer.

“Whatever,” Rebecca muttered, rolling her eyes and turning around. She had started to walk away – honestly, she had been so close to freedom she could taste it – when she felt a hand gripping her arm. It was gentle enough that she didn’t jump, but it was still way more personal than she ever intended to get with a Kappa Tau. “What is your _problem_?” she hissed, whipping back to face him. 

Cappie tilted his head to the side as if considering her. “I don’t have a problem,” he replied mildly. “No problem here, none whatsoever.”

“I swear to _God_ ,” she huffed, raising a fist. It would totally be self-defense; any jury in the world would understand that. Her father would see to that. 

“Look.”

And suddenly Cappie’s smile fell away, replaced with the same expression he’d worn back in that room when he talked about his childhood. It was enough to make Rebecca lower her hand and cross her arms, but not walk away. She was a practical sort of girl, when someone offered up something genuine, it was usually in her best interest to at least hear them out. It was a rare political quality to be honest and still hold an audience, and Rebecca could respect that, at least. Cappie had offered up something of himself with that expression, and she was willing to listen to him for it. 

Rebecca nodded and crossed her arms. “Talk.”

He didn’t say anything right away, just stood there, hands in his pockets while he rocked back on his heels. He still had that look on his face, though, the one that actually told you he was thinking about something. It wasn’t Cappie’s usual expression; Rebecca had watched him enough, searching for ways to get to Casey, to have figured out that he usually wore the affable Frat Brat Face as his default. She did have to give Cappie credit; it was an impressive way of keeping people at a distance. It was just too bad for him that Rebecca had been learning how to read people at the same time she’d been learning how to read books. 

Cappie dropped his eyes to the envelope in his hand. Still silent, he took the money out and counted through it again. He was being much more deliberate than Rebecca ever remembered seeing him. She hadn’t watched him _often_ or anything, but she’d seen enough on Greek Row to know that he was never terribly careful with anything of value. Rebecca supposed it was something Cappie and Casey had in common.

After another moment, Cappie separated a few of the bills and folded them into his pocket. He put the majority of the cash back in the envelope and looked up at her. That look was still on his face, although Rebecca couldn’t tell what he was thinking. 

“Can I borrow a pen?” he asked. “And, uh, maybe some paper?”

Raising an eyebrow, Rebecca nevertheless reached into her bag and handed him a notebook and pen. 

Cappie took them and looked at the pen for a moment, the corners of his eyes crinkling up when he smiled. “Is this…oh my god, does this pen write in zero gravity?” He started flipping the pen through the air. “You have an _astronaut pen_?”

She prickled. “Shut up! And be careful, okay? That’s expensive.” 

“Oh, I’m _sorry_ ,” Cappie mocked, slapping a hand over his heart and _swooning_ , the bastard. “I didn’t realize that you were planning a trip to the space station this semester.”

Rebecca reached to snatch back her notebook. “Okay, just give them back… _Hey_! Let go!” 

Cappie wouldn’t release his grip on her things, and almost looked like he was enjoying the tug-of-war between them. Rebecca couldn’t fathom what short circuited in her brain to cause her to bother giving him a chance.

“Okay, I’m _actually_ sorry this time!” He laughed, but he sounded genuine enough that Rebecca halted and let the notebook fly out of her hands. If she smirked when the sudden jolt forced him to stumble backwards a step, well, it’s not like he wouldn’t have done the same in her place. 

“Seriously,” Cappie said, calming. That look was coming back. “Pens that write upside-down are good. Trust me, you never know when you’ll need to write ‘help me’ while suspended by your ankle over a Jello ring.”

Rebecca rolled her eyes, but didn’t say anything. He could write whatever he needed to, and then she could finally get back to the house. She was learning that engaging Cappie only seemed to encourage him. 

He pulled off the pen cap and opened the notebook to a clean page, not even stopping to comment on the scattered writing at the beginning. That made Rebecca curious: he seemed like the type who never passed up an opportunity to figure out the little pieces that made up people. She was like that, too; it was the only way to ever learn anything true about someone.

Rebecca wasn’t curious about what he was writing. She _wasn’t_. It was just that she was beyond exhausted and she and Cappie had shared a _moment_ , or whatever, in the room. That was the only reason she cared about the note he was scratching out.  

Rebecca had always maintained a policy of total honesty with herself. It was how she survived her father’s political world, and it was how she was surviving the Greek world. And she emphatically _did not care_ about what Mr. Kappa Tau himself was writing in special astronaut ink on paper he’d borrowed from a sorority girl who was rungs above him on the social ladder.

No matter how odd Cappie was, Rebecca didn’t care. She _didn’t_. 

She wouldn’t let herself.

“Here,” he said, tearing the page out of the notebook and handing it and the pen back to her. Cappie folded up the paper and slipped it into the envelope, along with most of the money he’d earned from participating in that insane psychology experiment. He waited for Rebecca to put her things back in her bag before handing the envelope to her, too. 

Rebecca didn’t bother hiding her confusion. She doubted it mattered much to this guy what appearance she put on. “What are you doing?”

Cappie shrugged slightly, his expression soft and clouded. “Could you give this to Casey, please? I’m assuming you’re on your way back to the ZBZ house.” 

She also didn’t bother to hide the instinctive curl of her lip at Casey’s name. “Um, can I ask _why_ you feel the need to pay your ex-girlfriend? Unless she’s secretly a not-so-high-priced call girl on the side and you owed her back pay or something. In which case, I’d appreciate some humiliating details as payment for being your errand girl.”

Cappie chuckled softly. “Sorry to ruin your undoubtedly dastardly plan to destroy her life, but no. I owed her for something, and this should cover it.” 

“Owed her what?” Rebecca was genuinely curious; no one in the house seemed willing to talk about Casey’s and Cappie’s past beyond the sanitized story she’d heard from Frannie.

Shrugging again, Cappie replied, “Just something. It’s no big deal, but I want us to be square, you know? And now we will be.” 

Rebecca nodded slowly, having no clue what he was talking about. She couldn’t recall anything recent that Casey had done for Cappie or Kappa Tau, and Rebecca kept a detailed record of Casey’s disloyalties to her house and to Evan. Even if no one else saw Casey for the entitled princess that she was, Rebecca did, and Rebecca was nothing if not practical about these things.

That face was back, though, and this time Rebecca let herself really look at Cappie. He’d worn that expression when he had talked about his parents and his childhood, and now when he was talking about Casey… 

It didn’t take a rocket scientist like Casey’s dorky little brother to figure out what that face meant. It wasn’t merely his serious face like Rebecca had originally assumed. It was sadness, and resignation, and bitterness, and wistfulness, all wrapped up in hurt.

For a brief moment, Rebecca felt the strongest, strangest urge to just wrap him up in a hug. That foreign reaction quickly gave way to something much more familiar, though no less odd under the circumstances: she wanted _blood_. 

Cappie was just one more thing that Casey had thought she could possess and toss aside without consequences. At least Rebecca was always aware of the potential ramifications of her actions; it was what made her a superior political strategist. And it was also the difference between her and Casey: Casey slid through life assuming that everything would fall into its rightful place around her, while Rebecca understood that you had to grit your teeth and _work_ for the things you wanted, even if that work wasn’t always savory or nice. Rebecca had actually admired Casey for her determination to get what she wanted, but something about seeing the consequences of that on Cappie’s face after they’d been in the room together was just too much. Rebecca was convinced, now more than ever, that Casey Cartwright didn’t deserve a damn thing in her perfect little life.

Cappie was staring at her, the envelope still extended in the air between them. Rebecca shook off her momentary haze and straightened, putting her game face back on. “Not a problem,” she said coolly. “I’m sure the Omega Chis have released their new Sweetheart by now.” 

She almost winced at the small grimace that flashed on Cappie’s face, but Rebecca told herself that it was for his own good to be reminded of who Casey really was. And like he said, they were even, now. Whatever Cappie had felt like he owed Casey, it was being repaid.

Rebecca would make sure of that. 

As soon as the envelope was tucked safely into her purse, Cappie’s mask was back up and he grinned brightly at her. “Well, I’d say it’s been fun, but lies just aren’t my forte.”

Rebecca quirked her lips in an imitation of a smile. She could pretend that the last few minutes had never happened, too. Cappie deserved his pride, at least. “Not a problem,” she replied. “Poker’s probably just one more thing Kappa Taus can’t win at.”

Cappie’s smile softened for just a moment, but it was enough to express his thanks to Rebecca. Then it was gone, and they were who they were the night before. 

“And I’d be a gentleman and offer to walk you home, but—“

“Don’t worry,” Rebecca smirked. “I’d never accuse you of being a gentleman.” 

Cappie bowed dramatically. “My reputation thanks you, milady.”

With a wave, he headed down the shortcut path back to his house, leaving Rebecca in front of the Psych building, considering hi

She watched until he was out of sight, and thought she maybe understood some of what Casey had seen in Cappie. Rebecca also understood, however, that for all his Kappa Tau faults, he’d been too good for Casey.

Rebecca would deliver the money and the message back to her Big Sister, who was probably still wandering around the house in her Sweetheart tiara. It was just like Casey to not pay attention to the important things in her life. 

But Rebecca was nothing if not practical. And now, she was also paying attention.


End file.
